Mailed Out Herbs

Happily walked into Eu Yan Sang headquarters at North Bridge Road to buy herbs that K needed to be packed and mailed over to her. I'm most familiar with the staff here and would feel less embarrassed about monopolizing their time to fill out a large order immediately. But at least it seemed that I picked the correct quiet hour to bother them.

I was completely useless, and hid away at the farthest corner so as not to hinder the staff scurrying around. I surreptitiously snapped a photo of the whole floor staff and the herb master totally occupied with filling out the prescriptions, scooping out and weighing the required herbs in their requested portions. The staff are very nice people lah.

The only thing K and I weren't confident of- the herbs clearing her country's customs. Well these are effectively dried leaves and roots, which are lightweight and individually sealed. I added ziplock bags, but still, we never know if it could get through. I've got a number of boxes to send out; risk distribution, evening out the odds and all that. I was more optimistic. If bottles of kaya and packets of sambal and curry powder got through all the time, there's no reason why these herbs wouldn't.

But man, dunno what stalled the parcel at her country's customs this time. The first box of herbs was stuck there for soooo long before it got despatched to her city's postal venue for pick-up. A whole month! But at least it arrived. I don't think she was joking when she said people don't work during summer. The significant decrease of available manpower in summer results in a peculiar inefficiency which is a rather stark contrast with its usual standards.